The Day The Deal Was Made
by Desdemona Sunrise
Summary: Sakura never had any illusions about what she was to him. She was just a mildly enjoyable plaything he used for distraction and amusement while the Council chose which of his drooling fangirls he was to marry. This is how it started. GaaSaku AU one-shot


Well, the plot bunnies turned into wolves. With teeth. To be honest, I didn't ever really expect to post this, but if you're on the other side of the world reading this (har, you skipped it didn't you? You lazy arse! :P) and slightly interested, do read on. I write for myself and my own enjoyment, but I post for you guys. Enjoy.

Summary: Sakura never had any illusions about what she was to him. She was just a mildly enjoyable plaything he used for distraction and amusement while the Council which of his many drooling fangirls he was to marry.

Disclaimer: Look, why are these necessary? They're just an opportunity to try and be amusing. But for the record, I don't own Gaara or Sakura or even the nice manor/castle, okay?

Sakura remembered very clearly the day that her duties had become crystal clear. She had been cleaning the open fireplace in the second-floor reception room, on her hands and knees, wearing her rattiest, oldest and dirtiest maid's outfit as she furiously scrubbed away any trace of black burnt on god-knows-what.

The fireplace hadn't been cleaned in a while, in fact, nor had the whole room, not since both brothers of the Sabaku family had left (which was about three years ago). Temari was an excellent employer who treated her large staff fairly, and she didn't ask for unused rooms to be cleaned. But it seemed that both her siblings had decided to return for what was supposed to be a family get-together (but what would probably turn out more like a political debate)... At the same time. Without more than, say, six hours warning.

Luckily the trip from the actual Sunakagure to the Sabaku Manor took a little less than four hours on horseback, that is, if you happened to have a world-class thoroughbred stallion and who wouldn't be hindered by the hot and arid countryside between the castle proper and the bustling city. And of course, the Sabakus would have nothing less. So, they had about half a day – to clean a _whole_ manor, most of which hadn't been used in years.

And so here she was. But she knew she couldn't complain, the head maid was practically bursting a vein every time she discovered some new room of the castle that had to be washed, dusted, clean windows, or even have its furniture replaced or repaired. And that was nothing compared to the poor head cook, he was doing more work than a marathon-runner... with a time limit.

Sakura still sighed as she thought about how useless this work actually was; this reception room was never used... They had four on the bottom floor. Why would the siblings want to climb up that endless grand staircase just to get to another slightly less grand room? She hated wasting her time on something that wasn't productive, she would've even preferred washing all the windows on the bottom floor (half of which were eight feet tall), because even though that would've been tedious and repetitive, she would've at least been doing something worth that time. At least at the end of it she could smile, because Temari, Kankurou and Gaara would all notice the result of her efforts... Well, Temari would, anyway.

But who was going to notice an spotless fireplace? Who would even open the door and use the strategically placed armchairs around it while the fire blazed?

No one, that's who.

Leaning back a moment, Sakura used the back of her hand holding the cloth to wipe her forehead. Luckily, it was autumn and the hard graft wasn't making her sweat too much. She looked at her handiwork, pleased at how the fireplace could've been last cleaned only, say, a few months ago...

She leant forward to replace her cloth with a cleaner one and and got back to her work; she would rather finish this before her dinner down on the bottom floor in two hours' time.

A few minutes later, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and Sakura got the odd sensation that the skin on her head was being pulled tighter across her skull that she sometimes got when she was cold. It was also a sign that something was amiss, or sometimes even that someone was watching her...

Convinced now, she carefully turned her head. She made sure to have a carefully blank yet hopefully still politely detached face, just in case it was the head maid Tsunade or even Temari.

It wasn't. Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the more infamous of the Sand Siblings; Sabaku no Gaara.

He was leaning casually against the tall-backed and heavy looking armchair as if he was the one that lived here all year round. He was watching her impassively, even though Sakura could _tell_ that his eyes had moved slightly down to track the movements of her chest. Inwardly she bristled, but all she did was let the corners of her mouth tighten. It was enough to show her utter disapproval of his behaviour, but not enough to perhaps offend him. She never could tell how big a man's ego was until he opened up his mouth.

Slowly, Gaara blinked.

"Aren't you surprised, maid?"

Sakura tilted her head as she considered his words. He was known to be of few words, and the fact that she was a maid _did_ make the fact that he was watching her and even talking to her slightly unusual, but Tsunade had warned them a long time ago to be very careful around her youngest brother, and also that he often left out about two-thirds of his sentences, so you could never be sure as to what he was referring to.

"No, sir, you have been expected."

Sakura replied with a polite voice, even as she noticed that his eyes hadn't moved back up. She let her eyes narrow at this, and her gaze, focused on him still, was definitely what you could call 'cold'.

"To come to this room?"

Sakura blinked.

"If you'll forgive me, sir, but it has been a long time since you were here last. Perhaps you were also expected to want to explore, perhaps that is why I am here."

Sakura tried to not be too formal, another thing Tsunade had warned her of was that while impoliteness was never tolerated from a maid, neither did Gaara seem to like being overly formal. And definitely not flattery or 'ass-kissing', as she had put it; not from maids, anyway...

"Perhaps indeed," Gaara murmured loud enough for Sakura to hear. She watched in sudden worry, even if it was only slight, as his eyes suddenly darkened with intent. "Come here."

Sakura swallowed dryly and left her cloth as she stood and stepped forward three paces, and she was still only four feet away from him.

"That's not 'here'," Gaara said slightly condescendingly.

Sakura let herself stare at him a few heartbeats before hesitantly moving forward until she was right in front of him. She suddenly remembered with a startling clarity Tsunade's words...

"_Look, girls, I'm not happy about it but you _will _need to adhere to every order given to you by Lady Temari, and also Lords Kankurou and Gaara, unquestioningly and immediately. And that means everything. Understand? Every word out of their mouths must be followed if you want to stay here."_

She hadn't understood, Sakura now knew. She had simply thought that Tsunade was trying to reinforce the message of obedience and propriety, but she now saw that instead she had been saying _look, you want to work here? Then do whatever they ask_ which also implied that certain things _had _been asked of maids here, very improper things...

But Sakura could not refuse Lord Gaara. She simply did not have any other options; she had to stay, she had to earn enough money to help support her family, her two young siblings, her frail mother and her tired father who worked down in the mines for pittance. She would never find another job close enough to home with the same wages, nor did she have time to learn new skills.

If only she had managed to become a doctor, or even a nurse, things would be different. But that path was gone from her now, and at twenty-one, Sakura already knew that the best thing for her was to stay working here as long as possible, maybe even until she became too old to work.

She didn't flinch as Gaara's arms unfolded and reached for her. She didn't so much as blink as he gripped her left arm with one hand and snaked the other around her waist, pulling her towards him harshly. She simply kept her gaze lowered almost in sadness.

"Do you know why we are here, maid?"

"No, sir." Sakura replied evenly even as she felt her heartbeat raise slightly. Gaara was an intimidating man, an intoxicating, volatile, handsome and intimidating man. He was a dangerous mix of everything any sane woman would avoid.

Gaara leaned forward, and his lips touched her neck, tracing upwards towards her ear, so softly it could have almost been a gentle, tender gesture from a lover.

"I am getting married."

At his words, Sakura's sick feeling strengthened. She had no respect for a man with so little self-control that he would be unfaithful before he was even wed.

"Congratulations, sir." Sakura replied without a hint of enthusiasm. There was no point pretending anymore. There was no one on this floor. And Sakura would be damned if she was just going to let him take advantage of her while she just pretended it was okay. The very most she could do, or maybe the least, was to show him that this was wrong.

"This is my floor," Gaara said, breath spilling across her as he reached up with the hand that had been gripping her arm to take off her bonnet. Sakura was slightly confused by the seemingly random comment.

"Your floor, sir?" Sakura asked as she felt her hair slap gently against her neck.

"Temari only ever stays on the bottom floor. The first floor is Kankurou's, and this is my one."

It was true. Every floor was so immense that it had everything you would need on it. Temari had at least seven bedrooms on the bottom floor, and never seemed to even leave that floor, let alone the house. Sakura also knew that there were kitchens on this floor too. She suddenly felt very stupid at how obvious it was that each floor was designed so that a person could live on it and never want for anything or leave.

So she had been cleaning _his_ reception room. Somewhere in the back of her mind was glad that, actually, her work hadn't been pointless after all.

"What is your name?"

_Well, at least he wanted to know_, Sakura thought bitterly. _Oh God_, she suddenly panicked, _he's going to take me to his bedroom, I know it! That's what he means, no one will interrupt him, and his room is close! Oh my God... What a sick man. It's not even that you can't get this, of course you can, every woman that's even been half a noble has met you, and every single one could have been yours. You're even getting married to one of them, aren't you? You're just going to have to wait while the Council decides... And you want some fun in the meantime._

"Haruno Sakura, sir." She replied with as normal a voice as she could muster. She realized that she had taken a while to answer, so long it would be rude, but she no longer cared. This was a situation in which none of the rules should apply. Maids didn't get treated like this, so she shouldn't have to act like on.

"Well, _Sakura_, I've been assured that they will consider every option before choosing. I will be here for at least a month... And who knows, maybe if I was... unsatisfied... with their selection, I could ask them to rethink... And then I would be here even longer..."

Sakura was an intelligent woman. She understood his hidden meaning, that this wasn't only going to happen once. Sakura vowed to herself there and then that if she ever found another suitable job that she would leave immediately, being a maid and occasional sextoy of this little rich _arrogant_ man was not something she was willing to tolerate if it was avoidable.

Sakura blinked as Gaara pulled back and finally eyed her face. Sakura tried her hardest not to redden, and managed to succeed. Just barely.

"Sakura, look at me."

Her eyes widened again before she arranged her face and looked up at him.

He was handsome, she thought regretfully, even if he was a sick pig of a man, he was a handsome pig. And his jade-coloured eyes were very entrancing...

"It seems we have gotten off on the wrong foot," Gaara mused.

_What, you mean that I'm not over the moon that you want to fuck me? You mean that I haven't already offered myself to you willingly and taken off my dress? ...I have a little more integrity than noblewomen, it seems._

He was watching her thoughts play out across her face, she realized. She knew that she could never hide something completely, not if you looked careful enough, and from only six inches away. Which Gaara was.

Sakura was almost sadistically amused when a slight frown appeared on the young man's face. He released her and stepped back. With a slight revulsion Sakura saw that he had been leaning against the chair the whole time, that's how relaxed and unbothered he was.

"If you could, would you walk away now?"

Sakura seriously considered this, head tilting again as she nibbled her lip.

Gaara was good-looking, in fact he was _very _good-looking, and while she did have some honour, integrity and standards, she wasn't morally above taking a man to bed. If she fancied him, why shouldn't she? She was entitled to a little enjoyment.

But she definitely did have problems with being forced. If Gaara hadn't been so one-track minded from the start, she might have considered him, even. As she looked at the stoic man she wondered if she really wanted to touch him.

The answer was a yes. She did, but only of her own free will. She didn't want his lips touching her neck because he had forced her to come closer, she wanted to be there of her own volition. Anything less and the experience was never going to be enjoyable.

"If I could... I might not do that, sir. But perhaps a little free-will would go a long way," Sakura hinted. _Look, I would do it if I had a choice. But no choice, and I'll hate it and you._

Gaara suddenly smiled slightly. Sakura was startled and she abhorred how her heart went twice as fast; if she had thought that he was handsome before then now he was simply jaw-dropping.

He took a step forward, watching her as he lowered his head. She raised her arms and let them rest on top of his shoulders, imitating him and she traced his jugular with her lips. She leaned further upwards, making it necessary to press against him as she gently touched his earlobe. She felt the tall man take in a shuddery breath.

"Okay, Sakura. I'll make you a deal. You let me have my way, knowing that you can walk at any time."

Sakura paused in nibbling his earlobe. "That's only half a deal."

"Hm... Let me rephrase, consider me having my way as part of your job." He said thoughtfully as he turned his head to let his tongue trace the shell of her ear.

"So, you want to make me a prostitute?" Sakura said as she suddenly took a harder bite than before, but in the back of her mind she knew how attractive the idea was. And her family needed her anyway, and she couldn't allow herself to let them down simply because she wasn't going to do what was necessary. She'd done this much, and come this far, hadn't she? And it wasn't like she was averse to the idea of sleeping with Gaara, if she admitted it.

"No... But you will get something out of this."

"And if I refuse this deal," she asked, leaning back, "What happens then?" She studied his face for any hint of deception as his replied.

"Then you will lose your job," Gaara said bluntly. "Sakura, it's like this. This was part it from the beginning, just that you had never needed to realize that this was one of your duties before. The pay rise is just to sweeten the deal."

"Why?" She said even as she watched him lower his mouth towards hers.

"Because..." he breathed against her mouth before leaning down the last inch and capturing her lips with his. Sakura melted slightly and sighed into him. Dimly in the back of her mind she realized what this man was, he was a black hole that drew you in, that always overpowered anything and got what it wanted. He'd been forceful because he'd never been refused before, no one had cared, every single woman had wanted him too much. It was almost laughable how ignorant he was to act around a woman (that wasn't his sister) who didn't nearly faint at the sight of him.

"I like my women willing." He said seriously. Sakura smiled at him for the first time, and felt ridiculously pleased when he looked amazed.

"Very well, then, Gaara, I am willing..." She said, her voice taking on a seductive edge as she traced a finger down his chest. "So, what are you waiting for?" She whispered.

Gaara growled low in his throat hungrily as he kissed her again. She almost expected him to be rough, but he wasn't. She let him lead her away from the fireplace, the armchair and even her dinner in an hours' time as he pulled her towards his bedroom. She smiled as she thought about how infatuated she'd been with him since she'd last seen him, almost five years ago.

But as she'd said, her standards just wouldn't allow for him to coerce her, no matter how much she wanted him.

_Maybe they shouldn't allow me to bed a man who is to be wed... Even if it is arranged to some random noblewoman… Screw her. He won't mean more to her than he does to me, and he's not even engaged anyway!_

Sakura decided that she was absolutely _not_ convincing herself that this was okay, she was simply rationalizing and stating facts. Yes, that was it...

She grinned as she wondered just how many times Gaara would refuse the Council's selection.

So, a little over 3000 words for you guys. What do you think? Review if you're not feeling lazy :P

And by the way, I feel I should give credit where it's due and mention that the whole maid idea came from the fanfiction _The Gate Amidst The Ivy_, by Insane Romantic. Be warned; it is a SasuSaku. As you may know, I don't really ship that pairing, but this is one of the cases where the fanfiction is so good I find myself enjoying it immensely regardless. The definition of a good fanfic. But anyway, don't misunderstand, I didn't plagiarize, it just made this pop up (next to those wolves with teeth). It's quite different.

Anyway, old friends, I am afraid that I will now disappear off into the pretty Spanish sunset once again (I say this to warn you, this doesn't mean that I'm back. In fact this was random inspiration written down in one sitting... So err also forgive any typos. Sorry). Adios!


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